BROOME SOUTH WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT
299. Hon KEN BASTON to the minister representing the
Minister for Water:
I refer to the ponds located at the
Broome South Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(1) What is the
total amount spent on relining the wastewater ponds at this location in the
last three years?
(2) Are the Water
Corporation and the minister confident that there is very little risk of
wastewater from this facility entering Roebuck Bay?
(3) If no to (2),
what further measures are planned to reduce the risk of that occurring?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN
replied:
I thank the member for the question.
The Minister for Water has provided the following information.
(1) Between July
2016 and June 2017, the Barnett government spent $3.125 million. Between July
2017 and March 2019, the McGowan government spent $1.401 million.
(2)–(3) Notwithstanding
that a total of $63 million has been invested in Broome's wastewater
scheme over the last 17 years, some seepage still occurs, although this has
been reduced by 71 per cent. In addition, the facility is designed to contain a
one-in-50-year rainfall event; therefore, overflow and/or containment failure
would occur only during extreme rainfall events. In such cases, treated
wastewater would be highly diluted with stormwater and would present very
little risk to Roebuck Bay.
The Water Corporation is currently
undertaking a $1.1 million detailed ecological risk assessment for the Broome
South Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is due to be completed towards the end
of 2019. The Water Corporation may decommission the Broome South Wastewater
Treatment Plant within the next decade. Planning is underway to determine the
most appropriate way to decommission the site, upgrade the wastewater system
and upgrade the Broome North Wastewater Treatment Plant.